Ice-making apparatus.



BATBNTED MAR. 17, 1908.

34 I Sw Q E. I. WILLIAMS. IGI: MAKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY R8. 1906.

C\\\\\\\\\\\ QM EDWARD T. WILLIAMS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ICE-MAKING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application md July 2s, 190s. serialNo. 328,199.

Patented March 17, 1908.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWARD T. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing at N ew York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Ice-Making Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism employed for the manufacture of ice,and has for its principal object to reduce the time, lab`or and expenseof harvesting the ic(` made by the so called block system of ice making.This method as ordinarily practiced consists in arranging the ammoniaexpansion coils directly within the tank of water to be frozen, the iceforming on the pipes until a block of any desired thickness has beenmade. The ice must then be cut from the pipes, and several methods ofaccomplishing this are now in use, one consisting in the employment of acutter mounted on a carriage and having at its lower edge a small pipewhich is maintained at high temperature by passing steam therethrough.The cutting frame 1s lowered and gradually melts the ice at the sides ofthe pipe. This method is extremely wasteful and requires considerabletime.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide meanswhereby the ice may be very quickly harvested at minimum eX- pense.

A further object of the invention is vide an ice making machine in whichare used to shape tl to proplates and to provide means for raising thetemperature of such plates, so that by melting the outer surface of theblock of ice, the latter will be automatically detached from ,the platesand float to the surface.

'With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafterappear, the invention consists 1n certain novel features of constructionand arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims, it being understood that various changes in the form,proportions, size and minor details of the structure may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of thefreezing tank of an ice making apparatus constructed in accordance withvthe invention. Fig. 2 is a lonie sides of the block of ice,

gitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 illustrates a slightmodification of the invention.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondinparts throughout the several figures-of the r rawings.

The tank 10 may be of any suitable size and shape, and is filled withwater to be frozen into blocks of ice.

Arranged within the tank are vertically disposed coils 11 formed ofsuperposed hor zontal runs of tubing through which ammonia is allowed topass, the ammonia expanding and absorbing the heat from the surroundingwater. On each side of each coil is arranged a vertically dis osed plate12 preferably formed of metal wliich will offer some resistance to theassage of an electric current.V The lower e ge and the op osite ends ofeach late engage with insu atin material, as in icated at 13 in order toavoid contact with the bottom and side walls of the tank and prevent theplate and coils coming into contact.

The plates are -placed within about one inch of the sides of the coil,so that the conduction of heat from the plates to the ammonia pipes willbe reduced by a layer of ice between the plates and pi es, .to preventthe heat being carried off by t e ammonia faster than it is practicableIto supply it by the electric current. The plate oflers much lessresistance to the assage of heat than the ice. does, therefore 1t willnot interfere with the freezing process in the slightest degree.

The adjacent plates are preferably connected in series with a source ofelectrical energy, and when it is desired to harvest the ice, the switchis closed in order to connect the plate in the circuit. The resistanceoffered by the current is sufficient to raise the temperature of theseplates above the freezing oint and supply the heat fast enough to ma eup for the transmission through the ice to the ammonia expansion coils.When the temperature ofthe plates becomes suflciently high to releasethe ice, the buoyancy of the ice will carry it' free from the plate,where it maybe elevated from the tank by means of suitable hoisting gearin the ordinary manner.

In some cases the space between the tubes which go to form a coil may beclosed, so that the tubes, with the filling material 15 will form apractically solid blockto divide plates to the passage'of the blocks office. After the Water has been frozen, a current of electricity may besent through the coil itself, and the latter heated to an extentsufficient to cause the release of the blocks, as shown for instance inFig. 3.

I claim 1. In ice making apparatus, a tank, an expansion coil arrangedtherein, a metal plate arranged at one side of the coil and on which theice forms during the freezing operation, a source of electrical energy,and means for connecting the plate to the source of energy for thepurpose of raising the temperature of the plate and freeing the iceWithout stopping the flow of the refrigerant through the expansion coil.I

2. In ice making apparatus, a tank, a freezing member arranged thereinand having means for the circulation ant, said member being providedwith a solid continuous surface on which the ice forms, and means forpassin a current of electricity through a portion o said member to raisethe temperature of said solid continuous surface and thus free the iceWithout stopping the iow of the refrigerant.

3. In ice making apparatus, a tank, an eX- pansion vcoil arrangedtherein, a metal plate arranged on'each side of the coil and on whichthe ice forms during the freezing operation, said plates being spacedapart to form an intermediate freezing chamber which communicates withthe interior of the of the refrigertank, a source of electrical energy,and means for connecting the plates to the source of energy for thepurpose of raising the tem erature of the plates and freeing the icewithout' stopping .the flow of refrigerant through the coil.

4. In ice'making apparatus, a tank, a Vertically arranged expansion coildisposed therein, plates arranged on opposite sides of the coil andelectrically insulated from the tank, said plates being spaced apart toform an intermediate freezing chamber which communicates with theinterior of the tank, a source of electrical energy, and means forconnecting the plates to the source of energy to raise the temperatureof such plates and free the' ice Without stopping the flow ofrefrigerant through the coil.

5. In ice making apparatus, a freezing member including means for thecirculation of a refrigerant, and means for passing an electricalcurrent through a portionof said member to thereby heat the same anddetach 'the ice without stopping the iow of the refrigerant.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

EDWARD T. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses FRANK S. Dix, MABEL O. FAnNEs'rocK

